Velasquez pummels dos Santos to retain heavyweight title at UFC 166 in Houston

In the main event, heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez bested former champion Junior dos Santos much the same way he did the last time they fought – by giving him no room to breathe, swarming him with relentless wrestling and punching. And just like the last fight, this one was not even close. Dos Santos was nearly finished in the third round, but survived to take almost two more rounds of punishmore before Velasquez retained his belt by finishing the Brazilian in the fifth round.

A people’s champion

UFC officials said 15,000-plus tickets were sold for the event, which generated a gate of more than $2.5 million. UFC President Dana White noted it was the third-highest gate in the history of the venue; only the Rolling Stones and UFC 69, which featured Matt Serra’s upset of Georges St-Pierre, drew higher numbers.

Velasquez was the obvious draw for many fans attending the event. Scores of “UFC Mexico” and “Keep Calm and Cain On” shirts were on display, and the fans in the Toyota Center erupted whenever Velasquez was shown on the arena screen. The promotion capitalized on the large Hispanic audience in attendance by offering all manner of Mexican flag-themed items at the merchandise booths.

Velasquez’s popularity, and the large and boisterous crowd, are testaments to the UFC’s marketing efforts in billing Velasquez – who was born in America but whose father immigrated to the United States from Mexico – as the next great Mexican combat sports athlete.

“We’re here for him,” said local fan Anthony Martinez. “He’s a great role model and someone I want my kids to look up to. And it’s great to have a Mexican champion. We have a long history with boxing and now Cain is making history in the UFC.”

Early bouts pack power

The arena filled up early for a preliminary card packed, for the most part, with thrilling bouts. Concession and merchandise lines were barren, with many fans opting to watch as many fights as possible.

Flyweight John Dodson opened up the pay-per-view card by knocking out Darrell Montague, and Gabriel Gonzaga followed it up by knocking out former LSU fullback Shawn Jordan. Former Strikeforce champ Gilbert Melendez defeated Diego Sanchez by unanimous decision in a lightweight bout, and heavyweight Daniel Cormier beat Roy Nelson by unanimous decision.